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MM Test-Drive: 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Some time ago, before my knee-injury, I did a static-review (no test-drive) of the latest-generation Miata (the Fiat 124, of course, is the same vehicle with an Italian-built engine and slightly different body). I was not able to test-drive a manual-transmission version, due to simple supply/demand for the manuals at that time (they were all pre-sold or not in stock), and I did my static-review on an automatic version Even automatics, then, were hard to find in stock.
But I didn't bother test-driving it for two reasons, First, I'd feel petty silly driving a car like this with a slush-box (though I once test-drove an old first-generation Miata, with the top down, at 35 degrees Farenheit, just above freezing....can't get much sillier than that LOL). Second, although Mazda DOES sell automatic-equipped models, IMO it defeats one of the main purposes of this car.....the pure, no-nonsense, simple roadster-fun that it is famous for. Mazda also sells power-folding hard-top Miatas, but the standard fabric top is so ingeniously simply-designed and easy to fold that, unless one has arm or shoulder problems (or needs extra security from a break-in), that version probably doesn't make much sense, either.
Well, there's no more excuses today for waiting, as 6-speed manual versions are readily in stock, although at the big Mazda shop I was at today, they were all top-line Grand Touring models, similarly equipped at 31K....which is still reasonable compared to many convertibles and sports cars. Lower-line models start at 24K, but weren't in stock. It also wanted to try a manual version today for a couple of other reasons. My right knee is coming along fine after the operation...virtually normal now, and walking without either a cane or brace, but the left one is weak (fortunately, not painful), somewhat deformed from arthritis/cartilage-loss, and may have to be replaced. I wanted to see if I could still handle a clutch with that other weak knee without any problems (no problems indeed...but I'll get to that later). The very low-slung Miata is also a test, getting in and out of, for large persons with weak legs (A.K.A. myself).
So, I picked out one of the 6MT Grand Touring models (with a soft-top, listing at 31K, just like all the others), got the key and dealer-plate, and shoehorned myself in. I it took a little effort to get in, but not as much as I had expected. (OK....I cheated a little by picking the one that had the most swing-open door-space next to the driver's door LOL). Typical for Miatas, and for most small 2-seat roadsters, there is little if any space behind the driver for the seat-back to recline without hitting the back-stop...you have to slide the bottom cushion up to allow for that. So, it took me a couple minutes of fiddling with the manual seat controls to reach the best (in other words, acceptable) driving position. This latest Miata does seem to have at least a little more room under the adjustable steering column for large heavy legs like mine....though still tight, I didn't have to (quite) wrap my left leg around the wheel to reach the clutch pedal, like with previous versions.
OK...start her up with the engine start button. No Lexus-refinement here....the normally-aspirated in-line four comes to life with a loud nasal drawl, and the short, stubby shift-lever next to you on the console shakes in your hands like a wet dog. Looking out the windshield at the hood (which is so low that you can easily see most of it from the drivers' seat)...even the hood shakes with some noticeable vibration. Isolation is simply not his car's forte.....nor, of course, is it meant to be.
The RWD 2.0L Skyactiv four, with its 155 HP and 148 ft-lbs. of torque, doesn't sound like much on paper. But, given the car's relatively light weight, close-ratio transmission with short gear-spacing designed for power, rapid RPM-increase with throttle pressure, and good aerodynamics/wind-reststance, this car will definitely get out of its own way. Torque is meager down low, but rapidly builds with RPMs, and you can get a noticeable push-back in the seat. Noise, of course (plenty of it, especially with the top down) also goes with it....but noise is expected in a car like this.
The close-ratio six-speed manual has what is arguably one of the best RWD shift-linkages on the planet, just as the award for best FWD manual-shift linkage probably goes to the Honda Civic. The shift-lever, as I mentioned earlier, does vibrate, though not as much on the road as at idle. Unlike the Civic's, it does take a little effort pushing it, but the snick-snick action and very short lever-throws become second nature by the time you've driven only a couple of blocks. The clutch pedal was a little small for my big left foot, and the three pedals were spaced rather closely together (probably to aid in heel-and-toe shifting), but I had no significant problems operating any of them...at least compared to past Miatas. The clutch pedal engages steadily but rather abruptly, just a coupe of inches off the floor. You have to slip it a little if you want to get a really smooth start...but, then again, smooth driving is generally not this car's forte. On the gauge panel, a gear-indicator shows you what gear you are in (unusual for a manual transmission), when you can safely shift up one or more gears for more gas economy and less engine wear, but doesn't operate when the clutch is pushed in...so it won't necessarily warn you if you are shifting into the wrong gear until you actually let the pedal back out and engage it. And, of course, the transmission is so shortly-geared that even 6th gear, the highest one, can be used at surprisingly low road speeds....no engine-loafing with this one.
Steering response is quick, but not quite as much as what I remember from previous Miatas. Even so, the latest steering units, unlike the previous manual (unassisted) steering, have electric power-assist and a 15.5 : 1 steering-ratio. And doing a quick U-Turn or 180 at an intersection, with the steering wheel, requires little more than just a quick flick of the wrist. Body roll is almost nonexistent on a car this light and low-slung, although the suspension, still on the firm side in nature with the car, seems just a little more compliant over bumps than before. I sampled the ride with both the top down and up (it's so ingeniously simple to raise/lower that it can usually be done in a few seconds). With the top up, noise level dropped markedly, which is a sign of good insulation in the top....but, even so, this car is far from quiet. Top down, the wind-blocker behind the seat did its job. Even though my baseball cap (I made sure the cap was on tightly LOL) stuck up as high as the windshield header, it wasn't loosened or blown off. There was generally a low wind-turbulence level in the cockpit.
There was some vibration/shimmy felt through the car's structure at first....it was hard to tell whether it was simply flat-spotted tires that had sit awhile, or if it was typical convertible cowl-shake. The windshield header, though, didn't seem to vibrate, as it often does with classic cowl-shake, and the shimmy generally improved as the car (and tires) warmed up...but did not completely disappear. The brakes were effective, though, as I mentioned earlier, the pedals were a little smaller and closer together than was ideal for my big size-15 feet. The car is light enough that it doesn't take much braking action to slow it down.
One other thing rather odd on the dash....the analog-style coolant-temperature gauge, on the left, has the entire normal/warm-up range crowded into the very small space on the left side of the gauge, while the range from 210 to 250 degrees (overheating range) occupies the other three-fourths of the gauge. I'm not sure of just what the engineers were thinking with a design like that....unless they thought the engine would be prone to overheating (and the Fiat 124 Spyder version of this car, of course, does have a more powerful, Italian-designed engine which may be unreliable LOL).
Anyhow, in a nutshell, easily the best Miata yet.....especially for a big ox like me.
And, of course, as always, Happy Car Shopping.
MM
Some time ago, before my knee-injury, I did a static-review (no test-drive) of the latest-generation Miata (the Fiat 124, of course, is the same vehicle with an Italian-built engine and slightly different body). I was not able to test-drive a manual-transmission version, due to simple supply/demand for the manuals at that time (they were all pre-sold or not in stock), and I did my static-review on an automatic version Even automatics, then, were hard to find in stock.
But I didn't bother test-driving it for two reasons, First, I'd feel petty silly driving a car like this with a slush-box (though I once test-drove an old first-generation Miata, with the top down, at 35 degrees Farenheit, just above freezing....can't get much sillier than that LOL). Second, although Mazda DOES sell automatic-equipped models, IMO it defeats one of the main purposes of this car.....the pure, no-nonsense, simple roadster-fun that it is famous for. Mazda also sells power-folding hard-top Miatas, but the standard fabric top is so ingeniously simply-designed and easy to fold that, unless one has arm or shoulder problems (or needs extra security from a break-in), that version probably doesn't make much sense, either.
Well, there's no more excuses today for waiting, as 6-speed manual versions are readily in stock, although at the big Mazda shop I was at today, they were all top-line Grand Touring models, similarly equipped at 31K....which is still reasonable compared to many convertibles and sports cars. Lower-line models start at 24K, but weren't in stock. It also wanted to try a manual version today for a couple of other reasons. My right knee is coming along fine after the operation...virtually normal now, and walking without either a cane or brace, but the left one is weak (fortunately, not painful), somewhat deformed from arthritis/cartilage-loss, and may have to be replaced. I wanted to see if I could still handle a clutch with that other weak knee without any problems (no problems indeed...but I'll get to that later). The very low-slung Miata is also a test, getting in and out of, for large persons with weak legs (A.K.A. myself).
So, I picked out one of the 6MT Grand Touring models (with a soft-top, listing at 31K, just like all the others), got the key and dealer-plate, and shoehorned myself in. I it took a little effort to get in, but not as much as I had expected. (OK....I cheated a little by picking the one that had the most swing-open door-space next to the driver's door LOL). Typical for Miatas, and for most small 2-seat roadsters, there is little if any space behind the driver for the seat-back to recline without hitting the back-stop...you have to slide the bottom cushion up to allow for that. So, it took me a couple minutes of fiddling with the manual seat controls to reach the best (in other words, acceptable) driving position. This latest Miata does seem to have at least a little more room under the adjustable steering column for large heavy legs like mine....though still tight, I didn't have to (quite) wrap my left leg around the wheel to reach the clutch pedal, like with previous versions.
OK...start her up with the engine start button. No Lexus-refinement here....the normally-aspirated in-line four comes to life with a loud nasal drawl, and the short, stubby shift-lever next to you on the console shakes in your hands like a wet dog. Looking out the windshield at the hood (which is so low that you can easily see most of it from the drivers' seat)...even the hood shakes with some noticeable vibration. Isolation is simply not his car's forte.....nor, of course, is it meant to be.
The RWD 2.0L Skyactiv four, with its 155 HP and 148 ft-lbs. of torque, doesn't sound like much on paper. But, given the car's relatively light weight, close-ratio transmission with short gear-spacing designed for power, rapid RPM-increase with throttle pressure, and good aerodynamics/wind-reststance, this car will definitely get out of its own way. Torque is meager down low, but rapidly builds with RPMs, and you can get a noticeable push-back in the seat. Noise, of course (plenty of it, especially with the top down) also goes with it....but noise is expected in a car like this.
The close-ratio six-speed manual has what is arguably one of the best RWD shift-linkages on the planet, just as the award for best FWD manual-shift linkage probably goes to the Honda Civic. The shift-lever, as I mentioned earlier, does vibrate, though not as much on the road as at idle. Unlike the Civic's, it does take a little effort pushing it, but the snick-snick action and very short lever-throws become second nature by the time you've driven only a couple of blocks. The clutch pedal was a little small for my big left foot, and the three pedals were spaced rather closely together (probably to aid in heel-and-toe shifting), but I had no significant problems operating any of them...at least compared to past Miatas. The clutch pedal engages steadily but rather abruptly, just a coupe of inches off the floor. You have to slip it a little if you want to get a really smooth start...but, then again, smooth driving is generally not this car's forte. On the gauge panel, a gear-indicator shows you what gear you are in (unusual for a manual transmission), when you can safely shift up one or more gears for more gas economy and less engine wear, but doesn't operate when the clutch is pushed in...so it won't necessarily warn you if you are shifting into the wrong gear until you actually let the pedal back out and engage it. And, of course, the transmission is so shortly-geared that even 6th gear, the highest one, can be used at surprisingly low road speeds....no engine-loafing with this one.
Steering response is quick, but not quite as much as what I remember from previous Miatas. Even so, the latest steering units, unlike the previous manual (unassisted) steering, have electric power-assist and a 15.5 : 1 steering-ratio. And doing a quick U-Turn or 180 at an intersection, with the steering wheel, requires little more than just a quick flick of the wrist. Body roll is almost nonexistent on a car this light and low-slung, although the suspension, still on the firm side in nature with the car, seems just a little more compliant over bumps than before. I sampled the ride with both the top down and up (it's so ingeniously simple to raise/lower that it can usually be done in a few seconds). With the top up, noise level dropped markedly, which is a sign of good insulation in the top....but, even so, this car is far from quiet. Top down, the wind-blocker behind the seat did its job. Even though my baseball cap (I made sure the cap was on tightly LOL) stuck up as high as the windshield header, it wasn't loosened or blown off. There was generally a low wind-turbulence level in the cockpit.
There was some vibration/shimmy felt through the car's structure at first....it was hard to tell whether it was simply flat-spotted tires that had sit awhile, or if it was typical convertible cowl-shake. The windshield header, though, didn't seem to vibrate, as it often does with classic cowl-shake, and the shimmy generally improved as the car (and tires) warmed up...but did not completely disappear. The brakes were effective, though, as I mentioned earlier, the pedals were a little smaller and closer together than was ideal for my big size-15 feet. The car is light enough that it doesn't take much braking action to slow it down.
One other thing rather odd on the dash....the analog-style coolant-temperature gauge, on the left, has the entire normal/warm-up range crowded into the very small space on the left side of the gauge, while the range from 210 to 250 degrees (overheating range) occupies the other three-fourths of the gauge. I'm not sure of just what the engineers were thinking with a design like that....unless they thought the engine would be prone to overheating (and the Fiat 124 Spyder version of this car, of course, does have a more powerful, Italian-designed engine which may be unreliable LOL).
Anyhow, in a nutshell, easily the best Miata yet.....especially for a big ox like me.
And, of course, as always, Happy Car Shopping.
MM